NH Car inspections

[John Mercier]

The issue has nothing to do with safety.
Clean Air Act doesn't have a safety element directly tied to vehicles.

The SIP was a decision by the NH Legislature to get the money.

[phoenix]

so, the Feds have said they will expedite their review process

[John Mercier]

"The EPA typically has up to 18 months to make a decision on state petitions, but it now says it will have a proposed decision by early summer and a final decision before the end of this year."

Be interesting to see the judge's position.

[fatlazyless]

From March 19, 2026 ...... http://www.nhpr.org/nh-news/2026-03-...federal-ruling ...... for $50 car owners can always get a wellness inspection at their local car repair while this state/federal epa, court determination slowly rolls down that N.H. golden road?

[John Mercier]

You can get a "wellness" but not a OBD exhaust certificate.
That is what the court issue is about.

They really don't care if your brakes work or not.

[fatlazyless]

I bet you I can take my New Hampshire registered Scion XD to Maine, Vermont or Massachusetts for a $50 wellness check that will include an exhaust emissions, test results, printed receipt from the local car repair but not a state certification.

So, if cars registered in Maine, Vermont and Massachusetts are required by federal law to pass an exhaust emissions test, then cars from New Hampshire should be too!

[John Mercier]

But the SIP is only for vehicles registered in NH.

Violation of the SIP is what is being litigated.

[steve-on-mark]

A check engine or MIL light will generally tell you if there's an issue with your emission systems. We haven't checked tailpipe emissions for many years, and issues now are detected and diagnosed using stored trouble codes. No light, no problem.


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[jeffk]

Disclaimer: I am piecing together lots of information and may be mistating some issues.

I find it sad that NH is approaching the elimination of inspections differently by asking to be waived from participation in the Ozone Transport Region (OTR) regulations, part of the Clean Air Act legislation, and that the METHOD of our petition is the problem, rather than the actual outcome.

Other states that don't do inspections, as I understand it, didn't ask to withdraw from the OTR but instead got a temporary waiver, (renewed regularly?) that amounts to the same thing; air quality inspections are not being done.

NH's approach is, perhaps, more honest, permanent withdrawal from the OTR requirements, but makes the federal government face up to what it has allowed to happen for the other non inspection states, permanent withdrawal done annually. On the other hand, it's not clear what OTHER impacts withdrawal from the OTR may have. Maybe a permanent withdrawal from the INSPECTION aspects of the OTR might have been possible.

Also, it seems more important that the cars be MANUFACTURED according to clean air standards rather than inspecting to see if they are functioning properly. A "check engine" light indicating a failure usually means the car doesn't run as well and MOST people are going to get it fixed, if for no other reason than making it possible to resell the car. The few that don't are not going to make any significant difference in air quality, and, has NO direct impact on other drivers, unlike other aspects of an inspection might reveal, like bad brakes or failing steering components.

We are caught in a complex battle of legalese between the federal and state governments. The federal government wants to make sure that its legal intentions (regarding clean air) are not thwarted by NH non compliance with a part of the law before they issue any permanent waiver. If badly thought out, it could ripple through all the other states with serious consequences.

[fatlazyless]

Originally Posted by John Mercier

But the SIP is only for vehicles registered in NH.

Violation of the SIP is what is being litigated.

SIP must be some unknown acronym to do with the NH state legislature? What is "SIP"?

Using acronyms turns this into a wack-a-doozie discussion.

[Chubby]

Originally Posted by fatlazyless

SIP must be some unknown acronym to do with the NH state legislature? What is "SIP"?

Using acronyms turns this into a wack-a-doozie discussion.

S I P = Safety Inspection Program

[AC2717]

Let's be clear the only ones that brought up suit against the bill that was passed by the state was the company that was no longer going to be paid for services that were no longer needed once the bill passed. The judge should not have set an injunction for them, which by the way while we are all in limbo are not running out to get inspections done and not filling that company's pockets.

Has the state appealed the injunction? and I find it hard to believe the state does not have the ummm, ehhh power to get this lifted and proceed with life and what was passed.

Now if someone wants to bring suit for real factual data on vehicle emissions for vehicles that are under 15 years old causing clear act violations - which the manufacturers have already had to address and the ECM (computers) in the vehicles control and will not allow functions to operate without repair - let me see it?

We are not in 2005 talking about vehicles from the 1990s, for the last 20 plus years emissions standards have been so tight in the 2000s PZEV (Partial zero emission vehicles) enforcements have been in place federally

[John Mercier]

State Implementation Program.

Each State has one for the Clean Air Act.

https://www.epa.gov/air-quality-impl...r-quality-sips

"Members of the public can also file citizen suits under the Clean Air Act to address violations of SIPs."

This is the part that Gordon-Darby sued under.

NH put the cart before the horse a bit, as it should have applied for the waiver in July after the change became law. Since it takes about 18 months, the outcome of the waiver would have been known around next December - which is with the "expedite" when the final outcome should be known anyways. The only reason for the "expedite" is someone in our government failed to file for the waiver.

So it really was not as well thought out as one would hope.

[fatlazyless]

Originally Posted by Chubby

S I P = Safety Inspection Program

Wrong! ........ according to the EPA website, a SIP is a state implementation program.

So much for acronyms, using an acronym adds to the confusion and is for people who are too danged lazy to write out the title with correct use of lower case letters.

The States of Maine, Vermont, and Massachusetts all must comply with federal EPA clean air standards with regard to automobile emissions, so New Hampshire should be required to meet the same standards and NOT receive an EPA waiver from the clean air car emission rules.

The U.S.A. ....... all for one, and one for all! ......

[jeffk]

Originally Posted by fatlazyless

..., so New Hampshire should be required to meet the same standards and NOT receive an EPA waiver from the clean air car emission rules. ...

However, many other states have received inspection waivers that were structured a little differently than NH did. Why NH chose a different route is uncertain. Maybe it's a harder but better route to take? Maybe it was a dopey approach?

The thing to note is that NONE of this is related to car safety. It is all about emissions. As pointed out, most cars on the road are manufactured with proper emission controls that function reliably and flash a warning if they are not operating. Most people will take their car in and get it fixed. Why do we need an inspection for emissions when it is obvious when there is a problem? We don't.

What we have is a legal problem with conflicting intentions and unclear side effects. The Federal government wants compliance with the CAA (CLEAN AIR ACT). NH wants to stop inspections but framed it as withdrawing from participation in the OTR (OZONE TRANSPORT REGION) regulations part of the CAA (see above). That has broader implications than just stopping inspections and the federal government is going to want to take a hard look at that action. NH is trying to kill a mosquito with a sledgehammer. Maybe that works, maybe it doesn't. Maybe there is collateral damage.

[John Mercier]

A SIP is laid out by the State.
It doesn't have a specific focus in the Clean Air Act just targeted contaminants.

NH has several different ways that it can design a SIP, but needs EPA approval for the change.

The OBD vehicle emissions seemed the least intrusive and easiest politically to implement at the time.

[Chubby]

Originally Posted by fatlazyless

Wrong! ........ according to the EPA website, a SIP is a state implementation program.

Hmmmm... ?

In New Hampshire, the SIP auto inspection refers to the state’s Safety Inspection Program (SIP)—a mandatory yearly vehicle inspection required to keep your car legally registered.
�� What “SIP” includes in NH
The program combines safety and emissions checks (depending on the vehicle and location):
1. Safety Inspection
Every registered vehicle must pass a basic safety check covering:
Brakes and parking brake
Steering & suspension
Tires (tread depth, condition)
Lights (headlights, brake lights, turn signals)
Windshield & wipers
Exhaust system
Frame/rust issues
OBD system (warning lights like check engine)
2. Emissions / OBD Test
Required for 1996 and newer gasoline vehicles
Done via the car’s onboard diagnostics (OBD-II)
Fails if the “check engine” light is on or monitors aren’t ready

[TiltonBB]

Don't allow this to cause you to lose faith in the integrity of the inspection program but sometimes when a vehicle may have a problem with emissions the inspection station leaves everything hooked up to that car but puts the "sniffer" in the exhaust of the car in the next bay. Keep that a secret..........

[Biggd]

So, do we still need an inspection sticker or no?

[steve-on-mark]

Originally Posted by Biggd

So, do we still need an inspection sticker or no?

Not at the present time!

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[fatlazyless]

For $3.50 you can replace your old NH state inspection sticker with a totally beautiful 2"-diameter ...... http://www.nahamshagifts.com/product...or-die-sticker .....located in Gilford across from Sawyer's Ice Cream.

It is actually much better looking than it shows here.

[TheTimeTraveler]

When the inspections were up and running (prior to this year) weren't the emission part of the inspection process always exempt for vehicles that were older than twenty years old ?

Anyone remember ?

[steve-on-mark]

Originally Posted by TheTimeTraveler

When the inspections were up and running (prior to this year) weren't the emission part of the inspection process always exempt for vehicles that were older than twenty years old ?



Anyone remember ?

Yes, that was the case.

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